Grab-bucket.



PATENTED' DEC 22, 1903.

Notzuaasgf J. W. SHAVER. GRAB-BUGKET. APPLIOATION mum Il AR. 1a. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

JNVENTOR. 4 JOHN WSEAIER.

A TTORNE Y5.

No. 747,783. PATENTED DEOLZZ, 1903.

J. W. SHAVER. GRAB BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1903. H0 MODEL. 3 SHEBTSSHEBT 3.

' WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

. Q BY JQIWWSEAIER.

J ATTORNEYS.

m: NORRIS Pitgns co, PHOj'd-LITHQ. wAsHINu'mN. D, c:

"UNITED STATES.

Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WRIGHT SEAVER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO THE WELLMAN-SEAVER-MORGAN COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATIONOF OHIO.

GRAAB-'BIUCKET."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 747,783, dated Deember 22, 1903.

' Application filed March 13,1903. Starla 1N0. 147,669. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WRIGHT SEAVEB, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, have invented certain Imf provementsin Grab-Buckets, of which the following is aspecificatiom The object ofmy invention is to so construct a grab-bucket as to provide for theopening and closing of the same by means of a more acceptable characterthan those heretofore used in this class of devices. This object Iattain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of agrab-bucket constructed in accordance with my invention, to-

gether with a crane for carrying the same and mechanism forraising andlowering the bucket and for traversing iton said craue. Fig. 2 is a sideview'of the bucket on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is an end view of thebucket and its operating mechanism, the c'ase containing the latterbeing broken away'in order toillustrate such mechanism; and Fig. 4 is atransverse section through said casing.

A represents the bridge of a traveling crane,

mounted by means of suitable rollers (1 upon runways a, and upon thiscrane-bridge is mounted,'so as to traverse from end to end of the same,a trolley D, and at, one end of the bridge area pair of winding-drums'Band O and an electric or other motor H, which can be caused to operateeither or both of the drums B and O.

The drum B receives the hoisting-rope E, which passes around .a suitablesheave or sheaves on the trolley D, and the drum O receives the rope F,whereby the traversing is effected, this rope passing around a sheave Gat the opposite end of the bridge.

In the present instance the bucket is of the clam-shell type andcomprises two halves L L,

or J and an arm K or K, connected to the bucket at different points, andthese arms may be so proportioned as to length and their with suitabledust-proof bearing-boxes, the

arms J J being preferably contained within hoods I on the outside, ofthe casing I.

An electric motorM is located between and.

suitably mounted upon the shafts O O,'and motion like in extent, butreverse in direction is imparted to said shafts from the motor by anysuitable system of gearing. In-the present instance this system ofgearing comprisesa pinion N on the motor-shaft, which pinion meshes witha spur-wheel N, turning loosely on the shaft 0 and having any suitableform of frictional connection with a pinion N likewiseloosely mounted onsaid shaft 0, said pinion N meshing with aspur-wheel N, which is securedto the shaft 0 and ma pinion N whichmeshes with a spur-wheel N securedto the shaft 0'. While this arrangement of gearing serves to positivelyswing the arms J .I from and toward each other, further connectionbetween said arms is provided by intermeshing toothed segments S S,carried by the shafts O 0, re-

spectively, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2;

In order to prevent excessive lift of the opposite halves of the bucketand also to prevent strain upon the parts when the two halves of thebucket have been closed together, automaticcut-outsP P are provided onthecasing I, one of these cut-outs being struck and operated by one ofthe arms J when the latter has reached the limit of its downwardmovement and the other being struck and operated by said arm J when ithas reached the limit of its upward movement. The electric motoremployed is one whose direction of movement is reversible, the cutto;

out I operating to arrest the movement when the motor is running in onedirection and the cut-out P operating to arrest the movement of themotor when it is running in the opposite direction.

Current is conveyed to the motor from the trolley D through a cable Q,which is wound upon a drum R on the trolley, this drum hav ing a normaltendency to wind up the cable Q as the bucket is raised, but permittingthe unwinding of the cable as the bucket is lowered.

The mechanism described is asimpler and more effective means of openingand closing the buckets than the usual arrangements of ropes, levers,and sheaves or pulleys, and the weight of the motor and itsappurtenances is in many cases an advantage, since this added weightcauses the bucket to better dig into masses of ore or other materialwhich are difficult to penetrate.

While I have described and prefer to use a bucket composed of twoswinging halves, as shown, it will be evident that my invention is notlimited in this respect, but can be applied to other forms of bucket aswell.

In case the two halves of the bucket in opening or closing meet withobstructioniwhich is too diflicult to overcome the connection betweenthe spur-wheel N and pinion N will yield and prevent injury to themotor, the gearing, or other parts of the apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patcut- 1. The combination of the movable element of a bucket, ahanger on which the same is mounted, a motor carried by said hanger,mechanism whereby said motor is caused to actuate the movable element ofthe bucket, a crane-trolley from which said bucket-hanger is suspendedso as to be raised and lowered, and a flexible conductor extending fromthe crane-trolley to the bucket-hanger, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the movable element of a bucket, a hanger uponwhich the same is mounted, an electric motor carried by said hanger,mechanism whereby the movement of said motor is caused to actuate themovable element of the bucket, and electric cutouts operating to arrestthe movement of the motor when the parts reach either of their extremepositions, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the two halves of a bucket, of the clam-shelltype, arms carrying the said halves of the bucket, shafts for saidarms,ahanger in which said shafts are mounted, a motor carried by saidhanger, and gearing whereby said motor is caused to move one of saidshafts in one direction and the other in the opposite direction,substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the two halves of a bucket of the clam-shell type,arms carrying the halves ofsaid bucket, shafts for said arms, a hangerin which said shafts are mounted, a motor also carried by said hanger,gearing whereby said motor is caused to rock said shafts in oppositedirections, and intermeshing toothed segments connecting said shafts,substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the two halves of a bucket of the clam-shell type,arms carrying said halves of the bucket, shafts for said arms, a hangerin which said shafts are mounted, a motor also carried by said hanger,gearing whereby said motor is caused to rock said shaft in oppositedirections, and other arms connected to the halves of the bucket andpivoted eccentrically in respect to the rockshafts, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN WRIGHT SEAVER.

Witnesses:

O. W. COMSTOCK, W. A. J ONES.

